The invention relates generally to trailer hitch receivers and in particular to a hitch receiver assembly that supports one or more accessories and/or hitch devices when they are not mounted to a vehicle hitch receiver.
A vehicle trailer hitch, mounted at the rear of a vehicle, is used to support a wide variety of accessories in addition to being used for its original purpose. A hitch mount accessory is defined herein as any device that has a tongue of suitable dimension that is inserted into the receiver and is thereby supported by the hitch receiver. Examples of common hitch mount accessories are bicycle carriers, ski and snowboard carriers, and cargo carriers.
Bicycles, skis, and other such objects are often stored in garages, along with the carriers used to transport them, where available storage space may be limited. The present invention allows for any hitch mount accessory to be used as intended, or simply stored, when not attached to a vehicle trailer hitch receiver, by attachment to a wall or other appropriate surface.
Any device that has a hitch tongue can be used with the present invention. For example, a hitch receiver bicycle carrier coupled to the present invention can be used to store bicycles in a garage. A second potential use of the present invention is as a support for a bicycle repair stand that has a hitch mount base. A third potential use is as a secure mount to store a camper in a level condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,270 discloses a frame type receiver support device whose primary use is as a display stand. The placement of the hitch receiver support is fixed relative to the frame support. U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,543 discloses a holding assembly for storage of one or more hitch devices, but the receiver location is not adjustable nor is the device expandable to hold an indefinite number of hitch mount accessories. The present invention is a simple design that allows multiple hitch mount accessories to be stored in two orientations and maximizes the use of commercially available components, which makes it inexpensive to manufacture. The invention enables organized and efficient storage and off-vehicle use of hitch mount accessories and the objects they hold.